Started 2026 with my neighbor questioning my life choices. Taking out trash as I’m heading to the office: “Working your life away on New Year’s Day?”
“No, I WANT to go to the office. I don’t want to sit in this fucking apartment. I want to build shit.”
I don’t understand people who just want to relax and do nothing. My friend Brian thinks it’s because they don’t like what they do – if you pretend to like something for eight hours a day, you’d be exhausted too. Need to do nothing after that.
Me? I get energy from automating the things I don’t like doing. It’s the best stupid habit in the world. Though it also means I seek out shit I don’t like just so I can automate it away. Might be a sickness.
The Anxiety of Unstructured Time
Here’s something I don’t know if it’s an ex-addict thing or an autism thing: Not knowing what I’m doing in the evening – having large chunks of empty time – is dangerous. Gives me anxiety.
That’s why I work on so many projects simultaneously. Never have deadlines on multiple projects at once, so if I need to grind on one, I can ignore the others. But when I grind too hard, I need something on deck to pull me out or I’ll spiral into it and never surface.
Was relieved when Steve’s had a mic tonight. Gave me structure. Purpose. A place to be.
The Energy Balance
Steve’s was good. Hecklers earlier but gone by the time I went on. Haven’t had many hecklers yet. Figure it’s like motorcycles and accidents – either you’ve had one or you haven’t had one yet.
Finding this sweet spot with my energy on stage. When I’m in that perfect energy space, I don’t have great grasp on language. Got my sets memorized, but that’s analytical brain stuff. To stay relaxed in the right energy? That space doesn’t have language at all. It’s a balancing act.
Been mixing up my bits, seeing how they work in different configurations. Can I get myself into trouble and back out? The Joe’s diagnosis bit is loaded with callback opportunities now, but they only work one direction. Start with something else and those callbacks die.
Platypus Surprise
Leaving Steve’s, JC Tate mentions Platypus is running. Didn’t know they had a mic tonight either. Got on 15th. Better crowd, good laughs, good energy. Everyone was happy.
Starting to notice relationship dynamics in the scene I’m not gonna talk about. Just gonna keep them to myself and watch.
The Death of Expectation
Think I finally did it. Finally removed this concept of expectation from my comedy. At least most of the time.
That’s the real New Year’s resolution executed on day one. Not sitting in my apartment doing nothing. Not pretending to like things I don’t. Building shit. Automating the boring parts. Finding that energy balance on stage.
The first is a big invoicing day for me. Lots of envelopes and shit. But I still made time for two mics because empty time is dangerous and expectations are poison.
Good night, good sets, good energy. Everybody was happy.
That’s how you start a year.
